Means for supporting a venetian blind slat during painting



June 23, 1964 DT 3,138,484

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A VENEITIAN BLIND SLAT DURING PAINTING Filed March 27, 1962 4 7 FIG,1. L,

United States Patent 3,138,484 MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A VENETIAN BLIND SLAT DURING PAINTING Max Erhardt, 58-12 Bell Blvd., Bayside, N.Y. Filed Mar. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 182,795 1 Claim. (Cl. 118503) This invention relates to means for supporting a Venetian blind slat while the same is being painted, cleaned or otherwise treated.

Many Venetian blind slats are composed of thin wood or metal, such as aluminum or steel and they are thus very flexible. When being painted, and especially by the use of a brush, the slat offers very little resistance to the pressure imposed by the brush and it bends or flexes, thus making the painting diflicult to satisfactorily perform.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide means for supporting a Venetian blind slat in such a manner that the slat will be maintained flatly and under longitudinal tension so as to stiffen the slat and enable it to resist the paint brush pressure and thus greatly facilitate the painting operation.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a pair of slat supports having means by which they can be removably attached at the required spacedapart positions, to a fixed supporting element, such as a board, a part of a work bench or the like. The slat-supports are each provided with an upstanding part, including a finger, and these fingers respectively engage in the conventional slots in the blind slat and support the slat. At least one of the fingers is pivotal and is spring-biased in a direction away from the other finger, such springbiased finger being thus effective to apply longitudinal force upon the slat to not only maintain it in position on the fingers, but to longitudinally tension and stilfen it to enable it to resist the pressure of the paint brush and thus facilitate the painting operation.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the improved slat-support, with a Venetian blind slat in position;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of one of the supporting units;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the second supporting unit;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pivoted springbiased finger;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 55 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a Venetian blind slat of the conventional flexible metal type. The same is provided with the usual slots 2 and 3 located respectively adjacent to its opposite ends, and the means for supporting the slat while it is being painted, cleaned or otherwise treated, includes elements which enter into these slots.

The supporting means for the slat consists of two separate units which in operation, are arranged at suitable distances apart to enable parts on them to engage in the slots 2 and 3 of the blind slat. One of these units is generally indicated at 4 and the other unit at 5.

The unit designated at 4 includes a flat base plate 6 which may be composed of two plies or layers of sheet 3,138,484 Patented June 23, 1964 "ice metal secured together facially by the rivets 25. The upper layer 26 is bent upwardly at right angles to form an upstanding two-ply plate or flange 9. Provided near the top of the flange or plate 9 are shoulders 10 upon which the slat 1 may rest. At its upper end, the plate or flange 9 is bent angularly to form the horizontal lip shown at 11, the same being at the top end of the finger portion 12 formed on the plate 9 Adjacent to their point of joinder with the base plate 6, the two plies which form the upstanding plate 9 are bent angularly as shown at 27 to form a passage 28 for the reception of a lOng bolt 8 which receives on one of its ends, an L-shaped bracket 7, said bracket receiving a clamping screw 10 operative to clamp a suitable support such as a board or a work bench part or other fixed element, between it and the base plate 6.

The plate or flange 9, extending upwardly from the base plate 6, forms a substantially rigid support and the hooked upper end 12 extends through the slot 2 of the Venetian blind slat and engages with one edge thereof.

The unit shown at 5 is similar in many respects to the unit 4 in that it is provided with the base plate 6 having the L-shaped bracket 7 attached to it and which bracket receives the clamping screw 10 to clamp the unit in place on a suitable support. The flange or plate 29, composed of parts of the two upper layers 26 of the base plate 6, is curled over at the top to form a sleeve 30 through which a pivot pin 31 extends.

Pivoted on the pin 31 is a finger 14, the construction of which is disclosed in FIG. 4. Said finger has a pair of shoulders 32 located adjacent to its upper end and is provided with an outwardly-extending lip 33 at said end. The side wings 33a formed on the finger 14, lend stilfness and strength to the finger. The finger 14 is formed with a curled portion constituting a sleeve 35 through which the pivot pin 31 extends to thereby pivotally attach the finger 14 to the upper end of the plate 29.

A leaf spring 18 has one end attached by rivets 20 to the upstanding flange or plate 29 and has its upper end pressing against the finger 14 to thereby pivotally bias the same so that its upper end is urged in a direction away from the finger 12.

In using the supporting means, the two units 4 and 5 are clamped to a suitable support at the required distance apart to enable the fingers 12 and 14 to be extended through the slots 2 and 3 of the slat. The laterally-bent ends or lips 11 and 33 on the two fingers take over the slat and act to hold the slat against rising movement. The slat can come to rest on the shoulders 10 and 32 of the respective fingers. The spring 18 exerts sufficient pressure on the pivotal finger 14 in a manner to cause the same to tension the slat and hold it with the required stiffness to enable it to be painted or otherwise treated.

While I have herein stated that only one of the slatengaging fingers shall be pivotal and spring-biased, it will be apparent that both of the fingers can, if desired, be so constructed.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

A device for supporting a Venetian blind slat during painting, and which slat is provided with a pair of slots, a first support having means for attaching it to a base, said support having a projecting fixed finger provided with a part for extension through one of the slots in the slat, said finger being in the form of a plate having horizontal shoulders upon which a slat is rested, and having a laterally-bent end above the shoulders for engaging one of the slots in the slat, a second support having means for attaching it to, thebas'e, said second support having a finger pivoted on an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the supported slat and adapted for extension through the second slot in the slat, said second support includinga vertical fixed plate with the finger thereon being pivotal at the top of said plate on a pivot transverse to the longitudinal axis of the supported slat,

and leaf spring means having one, end attached to the vertical plate and having its other end exerting pressure against the pivoted finger to bias the same in a manner to cause it to exert longitudinal tension on the slat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

